If the words “expansion pack” bring doubt to a person’s ears, then a bundle of games going under the name “Fun Pack” tend to be under even closer scrutiny. The Mac Fun Pack 2 by MacSoft is a collection of four games bundled together on two CD-ROM’s and retails for about $20.

The Mac Fun Pack 2 includes Lode Runner 2 (the sequel to the side-scrolling black and white classic, Lode Runner), Real Pool, Play to Win Casino and America’s Greatest Solitaire. Lode Runner 2 requires the game’s CD-ROM to be in the drive while playing, so making a disk image of the CD might be a good idea if you want to avoid having to switch CD’s every time you’re in the mood for a quick game.

The games in the bundle are decent but vary in quality. Some shine brightly while others show the age of the two or three years that have passed since the games were first developed.

Real Pool

The crown jewel of the Mac Fun Pack, Real Pool is an amazingly detailed 3-D pool simulation game by Digital Fusion. In Real Pool, players use a first-person perspective for gameplay, adjusting their viewpoints as if the camera were attached to the pool cue. The next step is to set the shot by using the mouse to pull the cue back and shoot. The final result feels more realistic than one would expect it to, the ball ricocheting realistically as the camera resets itself. Real Pool allows players to choose the pool games they want to play at the beginning (Straight pool, 8-ball, 9-ball, etc.), select a human or computer opponent and proceed.

If realism was Digital Fusion’s goal, they achieved it. The pool table and surrounding bar are represented in photorealistic detail down to the dark wood panels of the pool hall. Even the light glancing off the balls retains a realistic feel, and the physics engine is the best I’ve seen in any pool program to date. Simply put, there is no visible difference in perception between real pool and the game, the balls behaving exactly as they would in real life. Players are able to “eyeball” the angle and force needed to successfully sink the balls, which makes for a most convincing pool simulation.

Real Pool may be two years old, but the efforts of Digital Fusion stand the test of time, making this the best pool simulator I’ve had the opportunity to play.